Saving the Sprites
by lost-Kitt'n
Summary: Mei was astounded to find the house of her childhood still standing. After her father unexpectedly died, Mei and Satsuki went to decide what would go to who. But Mei, being the somewhat nosy girl she is, finds so much more than just her dads old things...
1. Chapter 1

own nothing.

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Chapter 1

Mei was astonished at the beautiful landscape that hadn't changed from her childhood. Her beautiful long red hair was licking at her face as she bumped down the road in a big black truck.

Although she was returning to the land she once lived at with her deceased father, it brought back so many memories of the totoro and dust sprites. She smiled at the thought of Granny, a nice older woman who had taken care of her and her sister. Her mother, who was also dead and had been sick in the hospital for many years, and her father, who had been so wise and keen to everything that happened.

She turned onto a dirt road and down a path, passing a huge tree, and finally to her old house to claim the things she wanted.

"MEI! It's been too long!" Her older sister, Satsuki, screamed wrapping an arm around Mei and walking her to the house. Mei was annoyed by this; her older sister had become something of a slut. All Mei wanted to do was get in, get the things she wanted, and get out.

"Hello. How's the husband?" Mei asked as she stepped inside the door.

Her sister turned to look at her, "That's not important." Her words were sharp and stung Mei.

After a few hours of signing papers they went up to the attic to see if anything was left. There was a couch, an old table, scattered books, and soot everywhere.

_Soot Sprites! _Mei cried to Satsuki in her mind, begging her to remember.

"My, Papa must not have swept up here very often!" Mei was disappointed, yet nodded anyways.

Mei looked around for any trace of them, those little soot sprites that they had grown up with. Then she spied a crack, just big enough for a family of birds, or maybe, a colony of soot sprites. Satsuki caught her stare, "We should mend that whole… You know, to honor Papa."

"But," Mei tried to protest but the person with them, who helped settle things, cut in, "Now, what up here would you girls like? Mei how about those books, you said you liked to read? Satsuki what about the couch? Huh girls? Anything catch your eye?"

But just then Mei made a big move that she shouldn't have made. "I want… I want to buy the house."

The man looked at her and laughed, "MEI! You know this place is cursed, why would you want to do that? Silly girl, get your head together, now what do you want? Those are some nice _books_."

"No, I want the house! Satsuki can have everything in it but I want the house."

"Mei, dear, the house is being demolished in three weeks, we can't sell it now." The man explained.

"But I _need_ this house! Please, I'll buy it double the price!"

"Mei,"

"Triple! Please sir I've got to have it!"

"Mei, triple the price is twenty thousand yen."

"Please, I'll pay two million yen if I must!" Mei threw her arms and they landed on the mans shoulders, "I must have this house." She pleaded.

"Fine, if you can come up with twenty thousand yen, you may buy the house, but you have to come up with the money by the fifth day of the second week or the house will be smashed to bits." The man had a hat that tipped aver his eyes but Mei nodded.

"I will have the money by the fifth day."

When they were done Mei turned off the light and was the last to go down the stairs, she heard a shuffle and walked to the crack in the wall. "I'll be back." She promised the soot sprites.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Mei walked to her car and set some empty boxes in the old, ripped, backseat. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and got in the car, turned on the engine, and drove to her fathers, soon to be her, house.

She gathered the boxes into her arms and carried them to the house, packing the few things she wanted to take; books, flower seeds, and a few essays her father wrote before he retired his job as a professor. She took the boxes back to the car and tucked them under the backseat so they wouldn't roll around.

She walked back to the house and stepped lightly up to the attic, noticing the shuffling sound the soot sprites made. She smiled and remembered when she was a little girl and had been afraid of them.

Strutting to the hole in the wall she ran her finger along the edge. Pulling back her finger revealed a clump of black soot.

_Cuties I bet… _She thought to herself and lowered to a squat, looking straight into the blackness that was their home.

_Interesting too._ Her mind raced and she wondered what it was like where they lived. How they enjoyed the darkness. Was it musty? Wet? Cramped? Or, was there more to the hole than meets the eye?

She let her imagination wander until she thought she saw something move… She leaned in closer, her nose just in the crack and something tickled it. Mei thought she must have been crazy; her eyes searched the darkness like mad! She tried to get her head in the hole but couldn't get it in completely. Then, something marvelous happened. She sneezed and something felt caught in her nose, like a small sample of soot but… not really soot at all.

She felt herself moan unconsciously and shrink into a feeble position. Her body was rapidly getting smaller! She closed her eyes, only for a moment, and slept.

She awoke to blackness that engulfed the world around her and rubbed her tired eyes.

Trying to shake the reality away and go back to her deep, deep sleep. She gazed around her and saw nothing in any direction. A shrill cough sputtered from somewhere on her right…left…in front of her maybe?

She looked around, saw nothing and asked, "Whose there?" with as much strength as she could.

"Don't worry, I wont hurt you. Hey! Jim! Take a look at this!"

"Wow, that's a good one we'll take her to Zushami!"

"Wow, I never thought we'd see another human down here! Seeing as it's only you, me, and the prince of course!"

"Right, let's take her to the prince!"

"Wait," Mei pleaded, "Who are you, where am I?!"

"The sprite kingdom of course!" A hoarse voice answered.

"Sprite kingdom?" she paused. "Oh my."

"Right, to the king!" A younger, less gruff voice stated.

Suddenly, one hand was on each of her arms, and she was being pulled in some direction. She struggled to get free but was unsuccessful.

"Your majesty!" The hoarse voice said after what seemed like an hour.

"We have brought you a new one, a human at that, look at this!" Mei was hoisted onto a hard surface, and poked twice in the right shoulder.

"Well, she certainly is a find, please assist her to Nanny." The prince's hand was on her shoulder, his sturdy voice rang in her head. "She will help you adjust to the darkness, then you may come see me if you like, excuse me, I'm Prince Zushami, glad to make your acquaintance."

"Mei, it's nice to meet you, but I have a few questions-" She was cut off by the prince.

"Please, I will answer questions later, but I think it would be wise if you went to see Nanny before we discus anything further. Please take her there and make sure she's comfortable." Zushami kissed her hand and most likely bowed, but Mei couldn't see a thing.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Nanny was an old sprite who had lived in this particular kingdom longer than most sprites chose to live in a certain kingdom. Most roam around from place to place, but she chose to stay here. Miko, the man with the hoarse voice, explained that he would tell her what nanny was talking about. And he and his partner, Kinako, were going to lead her back to prince Zushami after they were all done.

"It's like opening your eyes for the very first time!" Kinako explained. "She puts something over them and then poof! You can see again!"

"It really is amazing!" Miko raved.

Mei wasn't paying much attention to their words as she stumbled along the path.

They came to their destination and Nanny said a few things that were translated into nothing important to her, for she had already heard it all. So after a few minutes, she found two wet, mushy things colliding with her eyes, being pressed gently and softly. Their coldness was indescribable but the feeling of water seemed to seep into her mind. The pressure was released and the wet things removed. Her eyes were born anew.

As she gazed around at this magnificent world around her she noticed big fuzzy lumps here and there. Miko caught her stare and explained,

"Nanny likes to try to clean; she says if she is to be a doctor figure, her hut should be nice and clean. But of course it's of no use because she has so many dirty customers in here on a daily basis that she can't keep up with her dusting."

Mei nodded, and for the first time, saw what Miko and Kinako looked like. Miko had blond hair, short blond hair that revealed a forehead that should have been kept hidden. He was short and stout but had a kindly smile and sparkling eyes.

Kinako had brown hair; it was curly but tame, and his eyes were hunter green. He was tall and slim but he, also, had a trustworthy look about him.

"Ready to go?" Kinako asked.

Mei looked around and kicked a particularly large dust bunny when Nanny had her back turned. "Yes." She replied.

They walked back to the princes' room, which was a long unpleasant walk. The walls were black and brown, covered in filth, dust, dirt, grime, and, unsurprisingly, soot. The floor was sometimes a long corridor, sometimes a spacious hallway, and others, a long narrow strip that could send some frightened person toppling over to their death. She shook the thought out of her head and kept going. When they arrived at the princes' room, he was waiting for them outside his door.

Zushami had red hair; his eyes were like deep pools of temptation that called for her to dive into. He looked at her, and with a single glance, drilled holes into her soul. His apparel was very appealing to Mei also. He wore a black shirt that had sleeves much bigger than anyone else's arm. His pants were slim, and black also. To top it all off, on one shoulder, the left to be exact, he wore a wonderful red velvet cape, that engulfed his arm completely, even the overgrown sleeve.

"There now, that's better. So, Mei, how do you like my kingdom?"

"It's wonderful." Mei lied.

"I know, I don't like it either." Mei flushed.

"It just needs some-

-Cleaning? I've tried." He finished.

"The passages are sometimes dangerous too." Mei suggested.

"You're absolutely right… in fact. Alonzo!"

A gray sprite came to the princes' side and bowed, well… as much as a round floating puff ball can bow, to Mei. "Order my men to change the dangerous passageways!" He insisted, and then translated so the sprite could understand. Apparently it did, Alonzo bowed once again and scurried off to find the 'men'.

"I…I was only stating my opinion, really, you don't have to change it just for me." Mei hurriedly said.

"But don't you want them changed?"

"Well it is safer…"

"Then they are changed, anything else you want to state?" Mei shook her head. "I'm sorry, I've forgotten my manners." Zushami took her hand and bowed low. "Would you like anything to eat or drink? Or would you like to see the living quarters?"

"Wait, sleeping quarters? I…I can't stay here. I have to get back to my family! This house is to be demolished in three weeks and I have to get twenty thousand yen on the fifth day of the second week! I appreciate the hospitality but I must get out…"

She prince had a look of despair on his face…

"Mei… The last time another human came in… she tried to leave also… but, she… she died trying." A gasp escaped from Mei's astonished mouth.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Mei looked around her, and even though she could see in the darkness that surrounded her normally, the complete blackness that was her bedroom still was hard to see.

Mei swallowed hard and almost choked on the lump in her throat, _died trying… _She repeated. The thought of death scared her, but it would come upon her either way, she would be crushed if she didn't get out in time to buy the house and who knows what would happen if she tried to get back out…

_There has to be some way to get back out besides how I got in… Maybe I should talk to Kinako and Miko… They would know, they're always searching in the piles that fall in… Yes, I'll talk to them tomorrow… _She thought.

She walked to her bed to the best of her ability and sat down on the musty sheets…

_Some changes are to be made though, if I am stuck here for the rest of…well, the rest of the week, I want my room more…me. I need different bedding and the color of the walls will have to go… I would like a desk and a dresser, but most importantly, a shower… I guess sprites don't worry about hygiene. But the prince must have a shower, he didn't smell bad, from what I could tell, and he looked respectably clean._

Mei was so tired all she could think of now was sleep.

And sleep cam over her. It swam through her so deeply that she could do nothing else but sleep. Breathe in breathe out, and sleep.

A shuffling sound awoke her in the morning…It was morning wasn't it?

"Hello?" She called into the darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Mei it's me, Kinako…Sorry to intrude, but the prince…"

"It's O.K. Kinako. I was awake anyway." Mei said. Her stomach growled.

"Are you hungry?"

"What was your first hint?" Her stomach was roaring now, almost as if it would explode out and eat Kinako.

They walked to the Grand Hall. Every Soot Sprite in the kingdom was eating breakfast. There were all kinds of things to eat, just nothing that looked good to Mei. Mammy came out of the kitchen with a big pot of what looked like boiled dust-bunnies… Everyone cheered.

"It's a special meal today, for you." Kinako explained.

Mei took a helping and passed the pot like everyone else did. She picked at it for a few minutes but stopped because she had begun to feel queasy.

Miko came rushing through the Hall. As soon as he spotted Mei he gave her a little smile and motioned for her to come to him.

"The prince wants you to eat with him!" Miko told her as they rushed to the Prince's quarters.

At the door, Miko bowed low and shoved Mei in the room. The doors were closed behind her and Prince Zushami appeared from behind a wall of curtains.

His room was amazing! He had a huge vaulted ceiling with a skylight, (which was really a hole that was under a window, so it was light in his room until night time.) His walls were made of red and purple curtains, and best of all, tucked behind one of the curtain walls was a bathroom, not just a toilet and a sink, but a shower and bath tub as well. He had a huge dinning table which was full of wonderful food. Mei's stomach grumbled again.

Zushami said, "I bet you're wondering how all of this is here…" Mei nodded in awe at the wonderful room. "These curtains are scraps of velvet from many years ago. They were covering my light so I got a large stick and pulled them through. A few hours after that some of those hard long arms fell through! Now that made me totally rethink you people, Kinako and Miko as well, but, they assured me the arms were not real. They even cut one open to prove a point. So I used them as curtain rods.

Mei gasped, "My sister and I were using that velvet to make doll dresses, and those are the arms from our dolls. We made the dresses to small so we had to take their arms off to get the dresses off."

"Oh… I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't know that, it's just, I was born down here, so I don't know anything about the top world." Zushami explained as Mei looked at the food longingly. "Won't you join me for breakfast?"

Mei quickly nodded, sat down, and filled herself as Zushami explained how Nanny learned how to cook by watching a little old woman she once lived with, she left her though because she felt horrible for dirtying her house. He then explained how a skilled carpenter once fell in the crack, who made the bathroom out of some rocks. A plumber fell down when the house was newly built. She had been checking the plumbing when she fell in and offered to make the bathroom work.

After breakfast Mei took a shower and got into a beautiful doll dress that had fallen down the hole. It fit perfectly.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

Chapter six

The red dress Mei had on was a medieval looking thing. It was red, purple, and gold. The fluff under the dress made it stand out almost a foot past Mei's leg, but it was soft, surprisingly, and very comfortable.

After eating the feast, showering, dressing, and checking herself in the mirror, she went back to the princes' main room. The ceiling was made of the wood that served as a floor in the attic. There were boxes upon boxes stacked all around which made Mei totally re-think her childhood home.

There must have been some secret passage ways or something; blocked off rooms that had been sealed before the previous owner moved out…Anything to explain this strange world that had been hidden just out of site.

Mei's long red curls were complimented beautifully by the dress. Zushami let his composure slip for just a minute when she stepped out from behind the curtain.

"Breath-taking." She heard him mutter.

She explained the whole situation to him and he was very understanding. He was also very curious, "What is it like in the outside world? How did you get down here anyway? What are yen? Why haven't I heard any voices lately, I used to hear people all the time?" When she had answered all of his questions he finally said, "Well Mei, I have been very rude. Here you are in a totally different world and I've bombarded you with questions. I am sure you have some questions for me, do you not?"

Mei had tons of questions, how could she not, but every time she looked into those beautiful eyes, her train of thought was completely demolished and her breath momentarily stolen away.

"You said you were born down here?"

"That's right."

"How? I mean, where are your parents?"

"They are gone. One day they died just like people do up top. I don't know how they got here; it was just natural for me. I never even questioned why I was so unlike all the other sprites. My parents just told me I was destined for greatness, and when more and more sprites moved in, I believed them. When they died I just… took over. I did what they did and what they'd always taught me to do. No one objected; they celebrated my new place of leadership! Getting out never crossed my mind. I never even knew other beings like me existed until the first person fell in. I remember that day. It was a long time ago, back when my parents were still alive and I was only a tiny child. That was when the plumber fell. They all came, lived their life course, and died. Now I've come to love the sprites like my own family." Mei stared at him in awe.

"Mei… I would like to show you something if you would let me." He said hesitantly. Mei knew this was a bad idea, she knew they should be making plans and trying to figure out a way to somehow get out of this magical land.

"Yes." She said, and took the princes' hand.


	7. Chapter 7

Mistake on my part. I was new to fanfic when i started this story and i do have some o/c's. Kinako, zushami, Miko(Who _is _named after the raccoon in Disneys pocohantas.) and Nanny, and other specifically described sprites. I did not however come up with the soot sprites, totoro, or this movie at all.

Those were all the creations of the beautiful minds at Studio Ghibli. :)

Enjoy.

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Chapter seven

After walking for what seemed like hours, through vast gaping corridors and down something that looked like the town central, Mei had discovered one thing: It was always black. The blackness completely enveloped everything and everyone around. The little piles of soot, (it was soot wasn't it?) that the sprites used as homes where everywhere. Almost as tightly packed as some of the most heavily populated cities. Some of the "homes" were very large. Some looked like the sprite had up and moved before it was really built at all.

When the pair came to the end of an extremely long hall, Mei found herself standing in front of two enormous black doors. They were larger than life and it looked as if the wood were actually black, they also had red, diamond-shaped jewels imprinted into them that took up almost the whole door. The knockers on the door were normal sized and Zushami picked one up and let it fall back. The doors opened, as if the knocker triggered some sort of switch, revealing a lighter, (yet still black) open, foggy, area. Mei automatically recognized it. It was a graveyard…


End file.
